Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, has stated that he has never sold Bitcoin from his personal holdings and described himself as a saver, drawing a clear line between his private assets and the company's corporate treasury.

Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, adopted Bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset in August 2020 and has since built the largest corporate Bitcoin position among publicly traded companies. Saylor said his personal position allowed him to continue advising individual investors against selling their Bitcoin. He has previously clarified that his well-known "never sell" message was directed at individuals rather than at Strategy as a publicly traded company, which must manage dividends, debt, and other financial obligations.

Strategy's own regulatory disclosures have stated that the company may sell Bitcoin based on liquidity needs and capital-market conditions.

Strategy Sells Over 5,000 Bitcoin in 2026

Saylor's remarks follow Strategy's announcement of its third Bitcoin sale this year — a notable shift for a company that had spent the prior years exclusively accumulating Bitcoin for its treasury. The company disclosed that it sold 1,638 BTC for $104.7 million in the week ending August 2.

Half of the proceeds were used to fund dividends for preferred STRC shares, while the other half went toward STRC buybacks. Strategy reported that it repurchased 912,142 STRC shares for $81.2 million, using BTC sale proceeds alongside $28.5 million raised from a common stock issuance.

These transactions are part of the capital framework Strategy announced in June 2026, under which the company plans to buy back up to $1 billion worth of STRC. Strategy has now repurchased STRC twice, spending a total of $106.2 million.

However, the company has sold Bitcoin on three separate occasions in 2026. It disposed of 32 BTC for $2.5 million in May, followed by another 3,555 BTC for $216 million in July. With the most recent sale, Strategy has sold a total of 5,225 BTC this year, bringing its holdings down to 842,138 BTC.

The last two sales raised a combined $321 million and were executed after the June capital framework was announced. Under that framework, Strategy is authorized to raise up to $1.25 billion through Bitcoin sales. The pace and scale of any further sales under this authorization remain an open question for both shareholders and the broader crypto market.

Crypto Community Criticizes Saylor

While some experts view Strategy's Bitcoin sales as a necessary measure for the company's financial sustainability, Saylor's statement has drawn sharp criticism within the crypto community. Many users noted that the Strategy chairman had been an outspoken advocate of holding Bitcoin indefinitely.

Crypto users have been resharing past statements from Saylor urging people never to sell. In one post, Saylor said, "sell a kidney if you must, but keep the Bitcoin." In another, he suggested that people could mortgage their homes to buy Bitcoin.

Others pointed out that Saylor's claim regarding his personal holdings cannot be independently verified. Helius Labs CEO Mert Mumtaz observed that Saylor could have deposited all of his BTC into Strategy and sold it through the company while publicly maintaining that he never sold it personally.

Bitcoin was trading around $63,900 after a modest 1% gain over the past 24 hours. Strategy's stock (MSTR) rose approximately 2% to $95.36, while STRC gained by a similar margin to trade at $91.84.